Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said around 400 rockets were fired at Israel from the Gaza Strip. About 100 of them crashed in Gaza, he said, many fell in open ground, some were intercepted and some hit Israeli homes. Israeli TV channels showed air defense systems intercepting missiles over Tel Aviv. In the nearby suburb of Ramat Gan, people were lying face down trying to get to safety. The ongoing shelling has been met with retaliatory Israeli strikes despite hopes for a quick cessation of hostilities, according to The Times of Israel.
According to the Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza, at least 21 people have been killed since Israel launched its surprise offensive on Tuesday morning, and 64 others have been injured. This figure includes both paramilitary members targeted by Israel and civilians.
Al-Ghad news channel, citing Palestinian factional sources, said the ceasefire agreement was ready to go into effect on Wednesday evening. Israeli government officials confirmed that Egypt was trying to facilitate this process. Speaking on condition of anonymity, they said Israel would assess the situation based on actions on the ground, not statements. Earlier on Wednesday, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari denied reports of talks and said the military had focused its strikes in the Gaza Strip on the terrorist group.
Earlier, the IDF said 65 shells fired by militants did not hit Gaza. Another 62 shells were downed, including a missile fired at Tel Aviv, marking the first successful interception of the David Sling medium-range air defense system. Another 61 rockets were shot down by the Iron Dome, its vaunted close-range cousin, three hit populated areas, and “the rest fell harmlessly in open countryside without causing any damage,” the IDF said.
Less than an hour after Israel confirmed it was considering a ceasefire, Gaza fighters launched a heavy shelling of central Israel and much of the country’s south, including the city of Beer Sheva. Missile damage in Netivot was reported, but no casualties were reported. Another shelling on Wednesday evening damaged the yard of a house in Sderot. Rockets were also fired towards Ashkelon, where a car and a warehouse were hit, and no one was injured. A rocket hit a house in Kibbutz Nir Am, but its residents were already in an air-raid shelter. During the nighttime bombardment, the southern city of Beersheba came under rocket fire for the first time since fighting began. In Netivot, shrapnel from an Iron Dome interceptor damaged a house, but no one was injured. Another rocket hit a park in Beersheba and reports say other structures were lightly damaged, but no one was injured.
Barzilai Medical Center in the southern city of Ashkelon said eight people were injured as they fled to the shelter and three others were treated for nervous shock. At the same time, the army carried out dozens of airstrikes against Islamic Jihad rocket launchers and other infrastructure.
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